Meet Trevor Basset, a Seattle-based creative and Senior Designer at Starbucks. Check out Trevor’s workspace and decor, peep his design process, and hear all about his daily routine working in an open-office studio space.
Who are you?
My name is Trevor Basset, I’m a designer from Seattle, Washington. My background is primarily in branding. I have previously worked at a few smaller design agencies, as well as in-house design roles for Ride Snowboards, Outdoor Research, and currently Starbucks.
In recent years, I have been pushing myself to create more work by hand. I have been digital reliant for so long that it has been a nice change in my process. I’ve recently been collaborating with other artists to release woven throw blankets at throwand.co.
Where do you work? Tell us about your space(s).
I have been working at Starbucks for almost three years. Our office is located in the SoDo neighborhood of Seattle. I work in the Creative Studio with other designers, illustrators, writers, and producers. Our studio is an open office. I try to decorate my workspace with things that inspire me. Some current desk art includes prints from Jesse LeDoux, Andy J. Miller, Rand Renfrow, and Pam Wishbow.
What hardware and software do you use to create your designs?
I create 95% of my work in Adobe Illustrator. I am constantly tweaking scale and color, and I find Illustrator the most flexible software for my needs.
A lot of the illustration work I make for Starbucks starts with pen and paper before I bring it into Illustrator. I tend to almost design my illustrations. I have a general idea in my mind of how I want something to look when it’s finished, but my early sketches are very rough. I draw a large number of assets, and piece them together to create a final illustration.
Tell us about your routine (or lack of one.) How do you structure your days to get things done?
I like to get into the office around 8:00 am, and start working as soon as possible. Some days are more heavy with meetings, so starting early ensures I have time to create as well as manage my workload for the day.
I was not much of a coffee drinker before working at Starbucks, but the supply of coffee around the office has definitely helped keep me going at times when I start to hit a wall.
How do your space, tools, and habits benefit you? What about those things do you think needs improvement?
Having worked at both large and small offices, I find the energy of a larger studio invigorating. Seeing so many people working on different things is inspiring. There’s always something interesting happening around the office. I like to get feedback from others who aren’t working on the same project as me, and the variety of creatives ensures a diverse range of feedback.
However being in an open office has its ups and downs. Sometimes, there’s a bit too much going on around me, and I will find a quiet area around our building to work in. A mix of stimuli is important, that way I can find the right environment for my mood.
Want to keep up with Trevor? Find him on Dribbble, Instagram, Twitter, and at Trevorbasset.com.
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